Yr 11 Biology: Evolution of Australian Biota

YR 11 BIOLOGY: EVOLUTION OF AUSTRALIAN BIOTA:

THE PLATYPUS: A LIVING FOSSIL

OBJECTIVE 1(b): IDENTIFY DATA SOURCES, GATHER, PROCESS AND ANALYSE INFORMATION FROM SECONDARY SOURCES AND USE AVAILABLE EVIDENCE TO ILLUSTRATE THE CHANGING IDEAS OF SCIENTISTS IN THE LAST 200 YEARS ABOUT INDIVIDUAL SPECIES SUCH AS THE PLATYPUS AS NEW INFORMATION AND TECHNOLOGIES BECAME AVAILABLE.

Refer to the following websites to answer the questions in your own words.

Creationism and the Platypus

  1. Describe the platypus.
  2. Explain why a platypus is said to be a mix of mammal and reptile.

Platypus Care - A Program of the Australian Platypus Conservancy go to Platypus Fact File

  1. Why is the platypus sometimes referred to as a living fossil?

Go to ‘Discovery and Naming’ to answer the following question:

  1. Based on a fragment of lower jaw found in NSW, a type of ancestral platypus was thought to have existed along side what and when?

Platypus

  1. Where else in the world was fossil evidence of platypus’ found? What does this suggest?
  2. How does the modern day platypus differ from its predecessors?
  3. What does the platypus’ trend towards specialisation suggest?

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

  1. Discuss the significance of the idea that the oldest mammal fossil found in Australia so far may have been 110million years old.
  2. Explain the significance of finding a fossil relative of the platypus in Argentina.
  3. What evidence was found after an analysis of the living and fossilised teeth?

Pondering the puzzling platypus. - Free Online Library

  1. In what century was the platypus first seen in Britain?
  2. How was the platypus first received?
  3. List and describe the “weird” features of a platypus.
  4. Early scientists had trouble classifying the platypus. What other types of animals did the platypus resemble and why.
  5. Explain a recent type of technology used to classify and give more knowledge about the platypus.
  6. Outline the features that were discovered about the platypus from this technology.

Text book: BIOLOGY IN FOCUS Preliminary Course

  1. Read and summarise pp 247-248.
  2. Download Features common to mammals, non-mammals and the platypus from the student CD and complete the worksheet.

Catalyst video:

  1. Summarise the main points from the short video in relation to technology and platypus knowledge.
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